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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. toast — bread
  4. date — the fruit
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. season — of the year
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. branch — a division
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. season — in sport
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. tear — from crying
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. tear — to rip
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. tear — from crying
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com